a single or separate article or item, as in an extended whole; a detail or particular:

the fine points of a contract.

28.

an individual part or element of something:

noble points in her character.

29.

a distinguishing mark or quality, especially one of an animal, used as a standard in stockbreeding, judging, etc.

30.

points.

the extremities of an animal, especially a horse or dog.

Railroads, British. a switch.

31.

a single unit, as in counting.

32.

a unit of count in the score of a game:

Our team won by five points.

33.

(in craps) the number that must be thrown to win but not including 7 or 11 on the first roll:

Your point is 4.

34.

Ice Hockey. either of two positions, to the right or left of the goal, to which an attacking defenseman is assigned, usually in the execution of a power play, to help keep the puck in the attacking zone.

35.

Basketball. a position in the front court, usually taken by the guard in charge of setting up the team's offense.

36.

Cricket.

the position of the fielder who plays a short distance in front of and to the offside of the batsman.

the fielder playing this position.

37.

Chiefly Boxing. the end or tip (of the chin).

38.

Hunting.

the action of a hunting dog that indicates the presence and location of game by standing rigid and directing its head toward the game.

the position taken by a hunting dog in pointing game.

39.

a branch of an antler of a deer:

an eight-point buck.

40.

Sports. a cross-country run.

41.

one of the narrow tapering spaces marked on a backgammon board.

42.

Education. a single credit, usually corresponding to an hour's class work per week for one semester.

43.

Electricity.

Also called breaker point. either of a pair of contacts tipped with tungsten or platinum that make or break current flow in a distributor, as in an automobile.

British. an outlet or socket.

44.

Commerce.

a unit of price quotation, as in the U.S., one dollar in stock transactions, one hundredth of a cent in cotton and coffee, or one cent in oil, grain, pork, etc.:

The price of stock went up two points today.

(especially in motion pictures) a percentage point, usually of the gross profits, granted to someone who agrees to invest or otherwise participate in a business project:

The star of the movie received a million dollar guarantee and five points.

45.

one percent of the face value of a loan, especially a mortgage loan, added on as a placement fee or a service charge and paid in advance or upon closing of the loan.

46.

Jewelry. a unit of weight equal to 1/100 (.01) of a carat.

47.

Military.

a patrol or reconnaissance unit that goes ahead of the advance party of an advance guard, or follows the rear party of the rear guard.

the stroke in bayonet drill or combat.

48.

Printing.

a unit of type measurement in the U.S. and U.K. equal to 1/72 inch, or 1/12 pica.

c.1200, "minute amount, single item in a whole; sharp end of a sword, etc.," a merger of two words, both ultimately from Latin pungere "prick, pierce, puncture" (see pungent). The Latin neuter past participle punctum was used as a noun, meaning "small hole made by pricking," subsequently extended to anything that looked like one, hence, "dot, particle," etc. This yielded Old French point "dot; smallest amount," which was borrowed in Middle English by c.1300.

Meanwhile the Latin fem. past participle of pungere was puncta, which was used in Medieval Latin to mean "sharp tip," and became Old French pointe "point of a weapon, vanguard of an army," which also passed into English, early 14c.

The senses have merged in English, but remain distinct in French. Extended senses are from the notion of "minute, single, or separate items in an extended whole." Meaning "small mark, dot" in English is mid-14c. Meaning "distinguishing feature" is recorded from late 15c. Meaning "a unit of score in a game" is first recorded 1746. As a typeface unit (in Britain and U.S., one twelfth of a pica), it went into use in U.S. 1883. As a measure of weight for precious stones (one one-hundredth of a carat) it is recorded from 1931.

The point "the matter being discussed" is attested from late 14c.; meaning "sense, purpose, advantage" (usually in the negative, e.g. what's the point?) is first recorded 1903. Point of honor (1610s) translates French point d'honneur. Point of no return (1941) is originally aviators' term for the point in a flight "before which any engine failure requires an immediate turn around and return to the point of departure, and beyond which such return is no longer practical."

v.

late 14c., "indicate with the finger;" c.1400, "wound by stabbing; make pauses in reading a text; seal or fill openings or joints or between tiles," partly from Old French pointoier "to prick, stab, jab, mark," and also from point (n.).

Mid-15c. as "to stitch, mend." From late 15c. as "stitch, mend;" also "furnish (a garment) with tags or laces for fastening;" from late 15c. as "aim (something)." Related: Pointed; pointing. To point up "emphasize" is from 1934; to point out is from 1570s.

point

(also point man) A forward reconnaissance man; lookout man; scout who warns his associates of danger and may get the first shock of attack: He is the point man for organized labor(1940s+ Armed forces & underworld)